


Decorum and Debauchery

by eyrror



Series: Caustic and Claimworthy (Keitor) [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Accidental Mating, Alien Biology, Alpha Lotor (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Sex, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hate Sex, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Keith (Voltron), Rimming, keith still cusses a lot, lotor is annoying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 07:14:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14765039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyrror/pseuds/eyrror
Summary: After accidentally bonding during Keith's first heat, Lotor and Keith struggle to find ways to undo their mistake, only to find out that in due time, it was a Happy Little Accident.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation on Caustic and Claimworthy, an A/B/O hate sex fic turned multi-chapter enemies to friends to lovers fic.

"This isn't exactly what I meant when I wanted you to spar with Lotor, Keith." Shiro said slowly, his eyes moving from the mark on Keith's neck to his eyes with a frown.   
  
"I know that," Keith sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's not like I asked for this." Shiro noted the brunette's clenched jaw and resolved himself not to reprimand Keith any further.    
  
"Could you maybe talk with the Blade of Marmora about this? See if the bond can be broken?" Shiro asked softly, placing a hand on Keith's arm in sympathy.    
  
"That was my plan, but I figured I'd be extra masochistic and get scolded by you first," Keith huffed caustically, crossing his arms, so Shiro dropped his hand respectfully.   
  
"I appreciate you telling me so soon, Keith. Truly."    
  
"Thank me later when I get out of this mess," Keith groused, turning on a heel to find Kolivan, who often held up at the command center with Allura and Kolivan.    
  
After reaching the flight deck, Keith stood next to Kolivan as he spoke of strategies with Allura and Coran. Once their conversation had concluded, all eyes were on Keith.    
  
"Ouch," Coran commented, looking at Keith's neck but then quickly looking away when Keith all but sneered.    
  
"I need to speak with Kolivan, alone," the brunette attempted to put as politely as possible, though frustration shone through his cordial veneer.    
  
Kolivan nodded, hardly acknowledging the mark on Keith's neck, and jutted his chin in the direction of a more private space: A makeshift office for the Blade of Marmora when they required space to plot. Kolivan allowed Keith to step in first before following him in and pressing the panel to close the door. "I see you've been mated; and by your tone, I'm assuming you regret it."   
  
Keith nodded silently. "Unfortunately, there's nothing to be done now," the Galra admitted, watching Keith's face drain of blood. "Until another six phoebs, that is."    
  
The poorly timed pause made Keith glare at Kolivan, but quickly dropped it given the Galra was his superior. "So what do I do until then?"   
  
"Enjoy mating our once-enemy."    
  
"I'm serious. This was an accident. I presented in the middle of us sparring and we...got carried away. I don't even think I like him," Keith spat, more pissed off at himself than Kolivan's comment.    
  
As if ignoring the paladin's reasoning, Kolivan continued: "You should know that each phoeb you will have a heat, now that you've presented as an omega. The heats will last three days, and you likely put Lotor into rut. If you remember our lessons, you would know these things."   
  
"I just assumed I wouldn't present at all. Like be a beta. I'm barely Galra at all."   
  
"From the little you know," Kolivan corrected. "You are likely more Galra than you think. As for when six phoebs pass, then you will have the option to break the bond by not mating with the prince on your sixth heat in a bond. Thus, you may establish it with someone else. Should you not and you mate the prince once more, it will become permanent."   
  
"Good to know," the brunette sighed. "Thank you, Kolivan."   
  
"Don't hesitate to ask me any further questions, if need be," the Galra nodded, looking down to their war table and assessing their objectives. "Our next mission begins once your heat ends."   
  
"Got it, got it. Keep you posted."   
  
"Informed. Thank you."    
  
Keith took this as his dismissal and exited the room, the panel door sliding shut behind him. The walk back to his room felt longer than usual, and he realized it was a result of the growing wave of heat stirring inside of him. Groaning, he paced faster. When he finally returned to his quarters, he flopped down on the bed and rubbed his eyes roughly, frustrated.    
  
He yearned once more for the exiled prince, but was far too prideful to admit anything of the sort. Uncovering his eyes, Keith looked down at the unmistakable bulge of a needy erection.  _ I can easily take care of this myself _ , he muses internally, unzipping his Blade suit and shoving his hands down to his crotch and stroking himself quickly.    
  
After what felt like a varga of fruitless masturbation and not a lick of relief, Keith gave up, clenching his jaw and flipping himself onto his stomach in aggravation. Maybe sleep would come easier than he would. Six vargas later without even a wink of sleep, he heard a gentle rapping on his door.    
  
"Go away, I'm trying to sleep," Keith called at the late night visitor.    
  
"Something tells me that's going about as well for you as it is me." Lotor. But with a voice that sounded distinguishably more strung out. He sounded the way Keith felt.    
  
So the brunette got up from his bed, zipping up the suit at least to hide his manhood, despite already having the rest of his suit peeled down his body, resting at his waist like a pullover tied on his hips. He pushed a couple buttons on the panel to open the door. Keith stared expectantly at his 'mate,' waiting for the other to speak first.   
  
"This was a bad idea," Lotor sighed, his arm propped up against the door frame. He almost seemed winded.  _ Leave it to the prince to wind himself trying to jack off _ , Keith thought, _ never lifted a finger to do that either I bet _ . Still, he wouldn't deny that Galran prince had a certain charm. One that only pompous assholes had. But somehow it was still charm in all its haughtiness.   
  
"Fuck, you don't say!" Keith growled back, hands gesticulating in anger at his crotch, which was still expectantly tented.    
  
"I would love to say I'm the cause of that, but technically I'm not," Lotor chuckled. "The heats and ruts we will endure will be far more intense since we're bonded now. And we need to be together in them."   
  
"Shut up, get in here. I don't want the other paladins knowing anything about this."   
  
"Aw, are you not proud of me?"   
  
"Fuck, no. You bonded me against my will." Keith snarled.   
  
"If I recall, that experience went both ways..." Lotor tapped his chin pensively, clearly teasing Keith.    
  
"I had no idea what I was doing or why!" The brunette countered, grimacing. He took a breath before continuing, his voice straining, "How are you not more serious about this?"   
  
"I am," Lotor furrowed his brow and frowned. "But when you've been alive for ten thousand deca-phoebs, a couple phoebs is pretty insignificant."    
  
Keith wasn't sure why he felt hurt by the prospect that Lotor found their union insignificant. Or that he wasn't serious in any way about it. Probably something to do with the hormones from his heat.    
  
He only felt this was confirmed when Lotor took several steps towards him, wrapping his arms around the small paladin, hoping he wouldn't cut himself on all the sharpened words and quilled body language he posed. When Keith dropped his arms, but didn't make a motion to hug back, Lotor took it as a sign to continue, albeit slowly. The platinum-haired Galra rubbed his neck against Keith's head and jugular, spreading the comforting scent of alpha on the new omega. When the human seemed to drop some of his tension, Lotor used an elegant hand to gently pull Keith's chin up, still surrounding them with the scent that Keith perceived to be of firewood and fir trees.   
  
"I know this is a quiznak of a situation for us both, but I promise I can be a good mate. While you have me." Lotor looked him in the eye. Sincerity was apparent in those deep oceans Lotor dared call eyes, though Keith was wary to believe it so readily.    
  
"Actions speak louder," he shrugged, though still not trying to free himself from the Galra's grasp. Lotor smiled at this, leaning down and kissing Keith softly, passionately in a way Keith hadn't experienced since life in the garrison. In fact, that was probably the last time he got laid, too. Maybe that had something to do with this burning desire to fuck the daylights out of the first hot alien he's stuck in a room with.    
  
Regardless of his apprehension and disbelief, Keith kissed back slowly, opening his mouth to let their tongues dance together. Lotor was the first to moan, and Keith considered that a win in of itself. At the same time, the Galra's hands drifted to his bare waist, one hand extending claws and ever so slightly running them up the human hybrid's back, causing him to arch towards Lotor and shiver, goosebumps covering his arms at the sensation.    
  
Pulling back to look at Keith, Lotor had an amused smile on his face and petted an arm, examining the bumps interestedly. "What is this? Does it hurt?" He chuckled, clearly knowing that the human wasn't in pain.    
  
"What? No. It happens when humans get cold," Keith shrugged.    
  
"Shall I warm you, dear paladin?" Lotor teased, leaning down and licking a stripe up from the mating mark on the juncture of his neck and shoulder to his ear. Keith shivered again in response, the bumps growing slightly more prominent. "Perhaps so," the Galra grinned, one hand going up to cup the brunette's face.    
  
"It's not like that, but if you insist, I won't get in your way," Keith grinned back, using a hand on the prince's chin to angle him to his lips, crushing them together in a rough but passionate embrace. Keith was tired of dancing around the fact that neither of them could get off without the other. He wound a hand in Lotor's silken tresses, both to feel and to control. Lotor quickly submitted, feeling as though he was finally about to get what he originally came for. But something about the interaction put his pulse on edge and his heart stutter. He loved to get under the little Red Paladin's skin and the reason why extended beyond just being a difficult prig. It was far more flirtatious than he originally intended for their interactions to become.    
  
Shoving the thought aside, Lotor used the hand on Keith's face to guide the young man to open more, allowing his tongue to roam deeper and elicit a moan from the smaller. The brunette pulled silver strands to indicate his interest in taking things further, deeper, rougher. Just, more.   
  
At this, Lotor slowly walked them back to Keith's bed. When the younger male's knees hit the bedspring, Lotor gently pushed him onto the bed, smirking down at him. “At least we are on a bed this time,” he chuckled, dropping to his knees in front of the paladin, his hands grasping the tops of Keith’s thighs and rubbing them. The brunette drew a stuttering breath, watching Lotor look him up and down suggestively. 

 

With his eyes still attached to Keith’s, the exiled prince smirked and pressed his mouth onto the tent in the other’s suit, sucking on it with fervor and pressing his hot tongue against the fabric. Pushing Keith further up the bed, Lotor lifted the human’s legs up further to grant him more access to plunge his mouth against his balls, the prince’s hands rubbing between the brunette’s shapely cheeks. Keith whined desperately, pressing every so slightly further onto his mate’s mouth, desperate for more. 

 

“Eager, aren’t we?” Lotor smirked, pulling off and unzipping the rest of Keith’s suit and peeling it off, centimeter by torturous centimeter. 

 

“Not as eager as the Galra that sought me out in the middle of the night,” he quipped back, kicking out of his suit impatiently, which Lotor saw as an opportunity to press his mouth against the human’s quivering hole, seeping with wetness and arousal. With his silver bullet of a tongue plunging deep inside of Keith, Lotor used his free hands to grope Keith’s ass, claws pressing in but not hard enough to tear, yielding a series of pleasured moans from the omega.

 

“Quit teasing, you asshole,” Keith panted, but Lotor refused to do anything other than continue to rim and tease his mate further until he was keening and clawing at the prince’s head at his waist. The teasing became too much for the paladin and he lifted a hand from platinum hair to grasp his member; yet as soon as his fingers wrapped around the engorged flesh, he felt hands gripping his wrists tightly, forcing them to the bed.

 

“Lotor,” Keith meant to growl, but it came out more as a wanton mewl.

 

“Keith,” he repeated back to him, almost sing-song in his tone and with a smile, mocking the boy. 

 

“I will beat the shit out of you as soon as you let my wrists go,” he said, his jaw clenched tightly. Lotor made a note to remind Keith that he was surely going to destroy his pretty mouth, always gnashing like that.

 

“Then perhaps I’ll never let you go, and just fuck you with your wrists clamped together,” the prince responded, a half-smile still on his lips as he jutted his chin in challenge.

 

Keith considered for a moment, thinking that it likely wouldn’t unpleasant, but he desperately desired the opportunity to touch the Galra hybrid and muss up his pretty visage just a little. “I’ll be good,” the brunette feigned, meeting indigo eyes with violet. 

 

“Not buying that, but I’ll let you go because it’s more fun that way,” he smirked. The hands releasing his wrists immediately leapt up to his neck and pinned him to the mattress, the prince’s lithe, muscular body now caging Keith’s on the bed. 

 

While it was never his kink back on Earth, he couldn’t help but bite his lip to keep back a moan, finding himself thoroughly enjoying being manhandled with Lotor’s hand around his neck.  The prince smirked, beginning now to finally zip off of his own suit, his hand briefly leaving the human’s neck to shuck off his clothing. Still, the hand quickly returned and along with it Lotor with his lips pressing roughly to Keith’s, nipping the lower possessively. Keith took this as a mark to push his hand back into Lotor’s platinum hair, pulling at it roughly while he raked nails all the way up flushing purple skin.

 

“You want me to fuck you like this? Hard and violent, Little Red?” Lotor sneered through the pain of having his hair wrenched. “Could you handle it?”

 

“Better than you’re handling a little hair tugging, yeah,” Keith just smirks, letting out a hopefully undetectable wheeze from Lotor constricting his throat further. At this challenge, Lotor uses his free hand to push Keith’s trembling legs open, a clear betrayal of his confident attitude, and press his cock into Keith with a single thrust, prompting a choked whimper from the omega. The sudden arousal and satisfaction of being filled causing Keith’s scent glands to release a vulnerable, needy smell that Lotor could not help but press his face into, licking a stripe up the paladin’s neck, then back down to suck on the mating mark he’d left half a day prior. In reaction to the omega’s scent, he emanated his own scent: One of strength, assurance, and solidarity with his mate. Keith became lost in the overwhelming sensations, already cumming with a strangled moan while he gripped the Lotor’s hair tighter.

 

“Shall we try for two, dear Keith?” Lotor licked his lips, descending back on the paladin’s scent glands and sucking on them furiously enough to leave a mark; he began thrusting roughly enough to push Keith up his mattress and cause the human to put up a hand against the wall to keep from hitting the head. “If you could even make me cum twice,” Keith laughed out bitterly, a reflection of their caustic relationship. 

 

“Challenge accepted, darling,” the platinum-haired exile grinned, his hand drifting down to grasp Keith’s semi-hard cock, pulling gently as he slowed his thrusting to a near halt, earning a deep sigh of relief from the omega with his oversensitive body. “I can guide you into it,” Lotor whispered against his ear, his voice dripping in gold and desire, an addiction to please. Lotor cradled his body over the paladin’s, hips slowly snapping in and out. “Turn around for me, Keith.”

 

Without so much as slipping out, Keith turned over onto his back and Lotor pulled him up to his waist using slim hips and a hand to press the paladin back against him while toying with a rosy nipple. At this point, Keith was already panting again, attempting to steel himself but the sensations were bridging on overload. Still, Lotor did not thrust roughly into him, he kept the same slow, sensual pace and it drove Keith insane. Purple hued lips met his neck, opposite the side of his mating mark. “You smell so good, Keith,” Lotor almost whimpered, clearly struggling to keep his composure, his forehead festing against the human’s neck in near-defeat as he shifted the angle of his hips to suck on Keith’s neck more and then began to thrust again. The newfound angle struck Keith’s prostate, earning a low groan from the human hybrid. Lotor took his opportunity to match the pace of his thrusts with his strokes on Keith’s cock, building a steady rhythm that slowly sped up and had them both moaning. 

 

“Harder,” Keith breathed out, leaning his head back against Lotor’s shoulder and arching his back. The hand playing with his nipple slipped down to a thin hip, gripping it in place while Lotor increased his speed from tantalizing to brutal once more. With Keith secreting even more of that cloyingly sweet, aphrodisiac scent, Lotor pressed his nose tightly up against his scent glands, inhaling deeply and thrusting only a couple more times until he came hard with a groan, claws digging marks into Keith’s hips hard enough to leave marks. Soon, his knot began to swell inside of the omega once more, and Lotor had not yet let up on his clawing nor stroking of the paladin’s hard cock.

 

“Ah! God, fuck,” the brunette choked out at the pleasurable pain, panting as he came into Lotor’s hand, feeling almost as though it was his first time being knotted all over again, but even better. The prince kissed behind his ear and Keith could practically feel the arrogant smile against his skin as his knees buckled and Lotor let them down gently into the mattress. God, he really did want to punch the Galra in his pretty fucking face, but it could wait until after the glorious feeling of fullness and being sated passed.

 

“K-Keith? Uh, you all right in there, buddy?” Hunk’s voice came muffled through the door, and Keith looked at Lotor with panic evident in his eyes. “I was just walking by to get a midnight snack from the kitchen.”

 

Lotor at least knew to stay quiet without Keith telling him, but Keith still couldn’t answer, clouded by post-coital haze. The silence unfortunately didn’t help Hunk’s concern.

 

“You sounded hurt, should I get Shiro?”

 

“No, don’t get Shiro!” Keith called back, panicking. Lotor had to press a hand over his own mouth to stifle laughter, and Keith glared at him. It looked as though Lotor intended to answer Hunk, so he quickly slapped another hand over the belligerent prince’s mouth so all the paladin could see was the smile in his eyes. In their short wrestling match, neither of them heard Hunk ask if he should come in, and the soft-hearted paladin’s worry got the better of him and Keith could hear the tell-tale beeping of the panel of his door unlocking. Right before it slid open, Keith tried to shout: “Hunk, stop, wait!”

 

In this time, Lotor at least found it dignifying enough to pull some errant blankets over them to cover their indecency. When Hunk laid eyes on the pair, his eyebrows shot up in surprise and he gripped the frame of the door with white knuckles, terrified that he caught their former leader in bed with their former enemy. The latter part still confused him and he didn’t quite trust Lotor yet.

 

“Is this some kind of freaky Galra sleepover?” Hunk queried, scratching his head, knowing something was definitely, _ clearly _ amiss.

 

“Yes, it is some kind of freaky Galra sleepover,” Keith plainly responded.

 

“It’s the kind where we touch genitals,” Lotor stated, straight faced with a tone almost as straight-laced. Keith looked over and behind his shoulder to glare at Lotor and then smack a hand into his face, covering it once more in an attempt to discourage him from speaking any further.

 

“Hunk, please don’t mention this to the other paladins.” Keith requested, clearly worried about how this news may spread across the ship and how it may discredit him as a soldier.

 

“Yeah, uh, sure. I’m...gonna go. I don’t think I’m hungry anymore,” Hunk pressed his lips tightly together into a small frown, taking a couple steps backward and then quickly clicking the panel to close the door once more.

 

“You are  _ such _ a little shit!” Keith remarked, still unable to turn over, so he elbowed Lotor in the side instead, earning an ‘oomph’ from his mate.

 

“Yet I am the little shit you bonded, remember?” The prince reminded him with a tut and a taunting kiss to the cheek.

 

“What did I say? I had no idea what I was doing!” Lotor chuckled at Keith becoming heated once more.

 

“Of course, of course. My apologies. You willfully neglected what the Blade likely taught you so you could claim me forever,” the platinum-haired prince tested him further, rubbing his nose affectionately against Keith’s.

 

“Oh, you wish,” he hissed back. Keith could’ve headbutted Lotor and had a perfect angle to do so, but he rather liked the way the prince was touching him. “You definitely need to leave once your dick softens, by the way,” the brunette added wistfully while he turned his head to the mattress, practically dozing off underneath Lotor.

  
“Whatever you say, dear Keith,” Lotor chuckled, knowing that he definitely would be disobeying that order since the human had already drifted to sleep. He smiled softly, absentmindedly petting his mate’s hair and pressing his face into it, inhaling the fading scent of flowers, honey, and musk that he never smelled in any other Galra, full-blooded or otherwise.  _ There might be something special about this paladin boy _ , he mused. It was unlike anything he’d experienced before, and he began to consider their union as the beginning of a serious relationship. Attempting to show this to Keith would prove challenging, but Lotor was giving the decision considerable weight. It could wait until morning when Keith woke and realized the prince had elected to ignore his request and kicked him out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “They told us you would come,” one said, not yet dropping their weapon.  
> “Who?”  
> “The Galra. Lotor’s generals.”  
> “Why would you follow them?”  
> “They promised us safety and freedom if we took some of our own. Some Balmerans felt that Voltron could not truly protect us, and selling our brothers and sisters into Galran citizenship was the only option for our own individual freedom and protection.” A female Balmeran piped up, lowering her weapon to the ground. “We’re sorry.”
> 
> Trouble in paradise. Not like you didn't expect it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another installment of your fave aggressive Galra boys trying real hard to be anything but easy.

Just like Lotor expected, when Keith found himself wrapped up in the prince’s arms when  morning came, Keith slowly pushed him off the bed with his leg until he woke with a start on the floor. “Out.”

 

Lotor hummed, not taking it personally and getting up with more elegance than someone who was just kicked to the floor should. When he opened the door, Lotor looked back at the sleeping omega, taking a whiff of the room and realizing that his heat had ended early. Probably better for the both of them, so as to not spend so much time together. Still, the prince smiled and left with a flick of his hair.

 

When Keith later woke of his own accord, he felt incredible. The oversensitivity of his heat had practically disappeared and he wasn’t desperate to jack off or anything of the sort. Finally, things felt a bit more normal. Despite the life-changing event of being mated to your enemy, that was. While he was appreciative, he recalled that Kolivan said heats lasted three days. Not one-and-a-half. For now, he’d chalk it up to his hybrid biology and that he perhaps passed through heats quicker than most Galra hybrids or full-bloods.

 

Putting on a new Blade suit, he made his way to Kolivan’s office, standing at the doorway with the rest of the Blade of Marmora strategizing with Allura, Shiro, and Coran, along with some defects loyal to Lotor who joined the Blade’s cause. Keith stepped into the room and crossed his arms, listening in to their plan of attack and accompanying tactics.

 

“We have to attack this outpost right away. It’s critical to receive these supplies and furnist our rebels with them.” Kolivan stated. “It is a matter of urgency. They will starve without these.” He then looked up to Keith, surveying him with a look that essentially asked if he was somehow prepared, despite his heat.

 

“I’m good to go,” the brunette shrugged, arms still crossed.

 

“Splendid. We’ll move out in two vargas. Everyone, you’re dismissed,” he nodded as the other Galra soldiers left, but Allura and Coran stayed back. Shiro put his hand on the brunette’s shoulder in support before leaving, offering him at least a little more privacy. Keith frowned, knowing what was coming next: The talk.

 

“Keith, we...wanted to talk with you about your mating,” Allura broached the subject carefully, as if it were an animal prone to fleeing. 

 

“You can just ask,” the brunette responded, one hand opening out from its tucked position to suggest she can go on without preamble.

 

“Are you sure you can do this mission?” Allura asked, a soft smile on her lips. Ever diplomatic, but he appreciated immensely what she had that he lacked.

 

“Yeah, I think so.”

 

“Your heat ended remarkably soon. Are you sure you aren’t feeling any symptoms whatsoever?” Kolivan queried, his arms crossed like Keith’s.

 

“None. Basically done, I guess.”

 

“Then we’ll move out in two vargas, just as planned,” Kolivan nodded once more, exiting the room. 

 

“Keith, are you sure you’re all right?” Coran piped in, his brows furrowed. Keith looked to Allura, who had the same pitying face.

 

“I’m fine!” He hissed, irritated at the prospect of the two babying him. “It doesn’t change that I hate him, just because I need him.” Something about that statement made it hard to say, but Keith swallowed the thought along with his pride. “Just...six more phoebs of this,” he sighed with resignation.

 

“If you need us, we are more than happy to help, you know,” Allura smiled, touching the younger male’s shoulder reassuringly. 

 

“I know. Thank you. I’m going to go get ready now,” Keith responded, turning and walking out the door, which slid shut behind him just as Coran shouted out an optimistic “Good luck!”

 

Keith made his way to the weaponry, grabbing his blade and some rations. He hadn’t heard too much of the plan, but the human hybrid preferred winging it anyway. Food would probably be a must if he stranded himself or ran off, not that it was an unusual feat for him. 

 

The human halfway expected his mate to see him off for some reason, given how much time they’d been spending together lately. Still, he wasn’t disappointed when that wasn’t the case. The Blade of Marmora met him at the docking bay before they boarded their battle cruiser.

 

“Time to debrief,” Kolivan began as the shift descended, warping to their desired coordinates and then cloaking their ship before rendezvousing at Balmera. “What we’ve got here is a delivery from a Galra cruiser headed past Balmera. Clearly not a warship, we believe there to be supplies on this cruiser en route to a Galra outpost about five vargas from here, possibly readying for some sort of attack in the next phoeb. It is paramount we take down the cruiser and relinquish it of the supplies, giving it instead to our allies on Balmera.”

 

The team nodded, their new pilot flying their ship at a safe distance from the cargo ship. Keith felt a little warm, but attributed it to warp travel sickness. That happened, right? He got into his pod with Kolivan and they sped towards the cruiser, jumping onto it and finding an opening. While not a warring vessel, it still had some defenses. With quick work, Kolivan temporarily disabled the systems to appear as a glitch for the human and him to slip in. 

 

Landing on the floor of the vessel, Keith looked around. There was almost no one on board besides a couple of Galran defense bots, which had already been disabled. Kolivan looked upon them, furrowing his brow, indicating to Keith that this clearly was not his doing.

 

“Let’s go, maybe we can find answers closer to the main deck,” Keith asserted, walking up the ship’s hallway. Once they reached the deck, with Kolivan stepping in first, blaster ready, they found only Balmerans. 

 

“Wait, what are you guys doing here?” Keith started, lowering his own blaster. Recognizing their uniforms, the Balmerans readied for attack, several lunging directly at Keith and another at Kolivan. The both of them dodged, looking at one another in wonder.

 

“Stop, we are not here to fight you,” Kolivan bellowed, disarming the Balmeran who attempted to attack him. They stilled at this, staring back at the Blade. 

 

“They told us you would come,” one said, not yet dropping their weapon. 

 

“Who?”

 

“The Galra. Lotor’s generals.”

 

“Why would you follow them?”

 

“They promised us safety and freedom if we took some of our own. Some Balmerans felt that Voltron could not truly protect us, and selling our brothers and sisters into Galran citizenship was the only option for our own individual freedom and protection.” A female Balmeran piped up, lowering her weapon to the ground. “We’re sorry.”

 

Keith’s face flushed with anger and gritted his teeth, “When did they tell you to start doing this?”

 

“About a phoeb ago,” she admitted. Keith recalled that this was about the time the communication came out that Lotor had been exiled. Clearly this ship had not received the message, and Galran outposts were accepting them as slaves instead of refugees. 

 

“We promise we can protect you if you come with us. Lotor no longer commands the Galra,” Kolivan interjected calmly. 

 

A look of horror came over the female Balmeran’s face, “You mean...we’ve been selling our own people to Zarkon?”

 

“It appears so,” Kolivan nodded sympathetically.

 

Gasps and whispers erupted between the Balmerans, looks of surprise and horror were exchanged between them. Sensing their distraught, Kolivan began comforting the Balmerans with promises of security and forgiveness if they were to help the Blade in future missions, and to attempt rescue missions on their brothers and sisters across Galran outposts.

 

Keith felt his head begin to swim, and he grasped onto a pipe in the main cabin, using his free hand to wipe a sheen of sweat of his face. He could barely focus on the words being exchanged between the Balmerans and Kolivan, and his entire body felt clammy. Doboshes later, he fell to his knees, breaking his fall with a hand to the ground that would surely scab as he rolled over onto the cool floor of the ship. 

 

“Keith!” Kolivan called, his voice sounding too far off to even be on the same ship as him. He heard his name once more, but closer. It still sounded like it was being shouted through water. The human’s eyes shut slowly and he fell out of consciousness.

 

When he came to once more, Keith was in a cot on the Blade’s vessel in a private room. He was already panting and felt himself half-hard, so he decided to turn over onto his side in an attempt to be modest as he heard the door slide open.

 

A female Galra approached him, bearing a glass of water and food goo. “Kolivan sent me to check on you. Eat and drink,” she stated with the cadence of a soldier. Definitely one of Lotor’s old fighters. “You’ve collapsed back into your heat again,” she noted.

 

Keith could almost roll his eyes. Of course he had. She continued, looking intently at his neck, “This happens in the midst of your heat when you...stray too far from your mate.”

 

“Seriously? Does bonding put me on a leash?” Keith all but barked at her, then steeled himself, knowing it wasn’t the soldier’s fault he was bonded.

 

“Only during your cycle’s heats,” she offered a sympathetic smile. “I understand that it can be...incredibly inconvenient.”

 

“Yeah, and you’d know because what, you’re mated to an evil bastard, too?” The human spat, clawing at his own clammy skin in the cot and wishing he could take more off.

 

“Perhaps not someone of the prince’s stature,” she blinked in surprise. “But I had need to break it, and found a way.” 

 

“Oh. Sorry,” Keith muttered, looking away from her. 

 

“Pay it no mind. We know not of the battles of others. You may call me Dedrir. If you need to talk with anyone about the trials of being an unwillingly mated omega, don’t hesitate to call for me,” she nodded, turning to exit. “I will not let my allegiance to Lotor when he ruled to cloud my judgment for you. You have my word.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Dedrir nodded formally, then exited and shut the door to grant Keith more privacy. Keith almost wondered why Kolivan hadn’t come to speak with him until he realized that perhaps it was because the Galra was an alpha like Lotor but refrained from being around the in-heat omega out of respect. That was one thing he remembered from the Blade’s scant teachings on Galra physiology that he barely listened to. 

 

~

 

As soon as the Blade returned, Keith walked quickly to his room, determined not to run into any of the paladins or even his mate, sweating from his heat and aggravated at the findings of the mission, sexual frustration, and also run of the mill frustration. He could have jeopardized the mission because of his heat. Which never would have been a problem had Lotor not bonded him in the first place, putting him on some metaphysical leash. Even now, he struggled with his straining cock threatening to spring out of his uniform. Keith scowled, the whole situation was humiliating and aggravating.

 

The panel on his door began clicking.  _ Do I have any actual goddamn privacy on this ship? _ He groused mentally, waiting impatiently for the door to open and reveal whoever had the gall to approach Keith after a mission as shitty as this. He knew Kolivan had briefed Allura and the paladins, so the team should know to keep their distance until Keith approached them.

 

The human wished he could have been surprised when the door revealed the prince, still in his offending Galran military uniform. Keith sharply inhaled and shook his head, his eyes not leaving Lotor’s as he stepped up to the prince and balled his fists in the purple and black uniform, “You fucking enslaved them? Under the guise of citizenship and refugee status?” Keith growled, pulling the prince and then slamming him against the door frame.

 

“You do recall that I have been exiled, do you not?” The prince allowed the rough treatment and bit back instead with words, removing the human’s grip from him and letting his hands drop. “Those orders were phoebs old.”

 

“You still gave them. What kind of person does that?” Keith all but yelled as he turned around, pacing his room out of exasperation.

 

“One with an empire to rule and dwindling resources who still wanted to  _ help _ its inhabitants.”

 

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose, “You ought to be better than this now, but you’re not even apologizing!” The human took a deep breath. “You’re an ally of Voltron now. You could at least stand to act like one!” Lotor remained silent, pressing his lips into a tight line, not allowing any emotions to betray his countenance, but his eyes showed the slightest twinge of pain.

 

“Not only that, but your stupid bond put our lives in danger because I was  _ too far  _ from you!” Keith shouted at him, his lip curled in a snarl. Lotor’s calm veneer broke at the insult and he scowled, looking away and taking a deep breath, stealing a moment to quiet the aggression that threatened to spill out. He took a step back, leaning against the doorway as if readying to exit.

 

“There’s nothing I can do now,” the Galra stated plainly, his fingers still curled around the doorway. “About any of this.” Keith dared not to lock eyes with him, not trusting himself and feeling like he was going to beckon the prince back at any moment with the heat still pulsating through him. He pushed down his more selfish desires in his anger; Keith was still angry that Lotor did not even appear to offer any solutions or reparations for his actions as the former prince nor as a mate.

 

Lotor took in a deep breath, but didn’t let it out or utter a word. He turned and left with the door open, tying his hair up in exasperation but also to leave the scent of alpha in his wake as some sort of twisted punishment. Gritting his teeth, Keith stood up to close the door, getting a whiff of the platinum-haired Galra’s scent once more, wishing it made him sick to his stomach as he looked after him, but it didn’t, and he watched the prince walk away with just barely a tantalizing sway to his hips. Keith resented it, as the prince still somehow held the staccato walk of royalty. Stuck up asshole. Keith rolled his eyes, tapping the panel to shut the door so he could just wait through the rest of his heat alone.

 

~

 

It was difficult to avoid Lotor with the exiled prince taking up residence in the castle, and even harder when he kept trying to talk to Keith at every turn. Each time, Keith would just heave a sigh and shake his head, walking right off. Most of the time, it was calls of “wait” and “please” coming from the platinum-haired prig. Regardless of how apologetic and submissive Lotor tried to be, Keith still wasn’t ready to speak with him.

 

He’d been stewing over the whole bonding process for nearly a phoeb, seething over the whole act being done against his will all while not taking the responsibility he should for his part in the ordeal. Still, he maintained that he had absolutely no idea what he was doing or why he felt like he had to in the moment. Keith was the one who had been taken advantage of, after all. Even if it was somewhat of a self-serving lie. The brunette might have paid more attention to his lessons than he cared to admit, but it was far easier to pass the blame. 

 

At one point while walking with Shiro to the kitchens, Keith was bemoaning the situation to the Black Paladin.

 

“I just don’t understand why he keeps trying to talk to me, at this point. We’re only useful for each for a single purpose,” Keith opened his hands in question, his brows loosely knit together as Shiro and him sat down to a table.

 

“Have you thought about giving him a chance to explain?” Shiro tilted his head with a knowing smile.

 

“You know I haven't,” the brunette rolled his eyes. 

 

“He might think you’re...useful for more than just your Galra physiology, Keith,” Shiro suggested, shrugging. “It doesn’t hurt to ask.”

 

“I doubt that, Shiro. And yes, it would hurt to ask,” Keith muttered. “It’d hurt my pride.” 

 

Shiro knew it was a jest, but resisted chuckling, getting up from the table to grab some food goo and human delicacies and passing some to Keith. He didn’t speak, knowing the brunette would come to the correct conclusion on his own. Even if it meant taking his time.

 

“I’ll make him wait just a little longer,” Keith added, ripping open the food goo and sucking it out like a Go-gurt. “Then we’ll talk.”

 

After talking about something other than politics and Lotor, Shiro and Keith were laughing again and the brunette felt like things were finally a bit less tense around the other paladin. And in general. He smiled at the other, “So whatever did happen to you aboard those Galra ships before we found you on Earth?”

 

Shiro opened his mouth to answer, but then found Lotor stepping into the kitchen. When Lotor spotted the both of them, he stepped back and made a move to exit the kitchen in order to give Keith privacy, making the Red Paladin smirk. At least he was learning.

 

“Lotor, it’s all right, I was just leaving,” Shiro said, rising from the table. Keith quickly looked up at Shiro in disbelief. “Keith had something he wanted to talk with you about, anyway.” The brunette glared daggers at Shiro who gave him a look that said, ‘Trust me, this is for your own good,’ and left the kitchens.  _ Yeah, and probably the good of the ship and its crew, too, _ Keith assumed. Their mating had made almost any interaction between them and with others a mess of frayed nerves ready to fire. No one knew what topics were off limits or inappropriate to broach regarding the two, so they struggled not addressing the elephant in the room.

 

Keith quickly put his elbows to the table with hands up, running through his hair and then covering his eyes, dreading what would come next.

 

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Lotor asked, his voice strangely soft and at a lower octave than usual. 

 

“Not really,” Keith admitted, sighing in defeat. “But clearly running isn’t doing me much good, so I guess I need to be.”

 

“I can start, then,” the prince began, taking a breath and sitting down at the same table at Keith, looking anywhere but the human’s face. Not that he would look back, anyhow. “I...am sorry about the Balmerans. It was a lapse in suitable judgment, and did not fit with my vision for the Galra Empire.”

 

Keith looked up to Lotor’s eyes, surprised to hear the man sound so vulnerable but sincere. 

 

“It was the last ditch effort of a scared man to appease his father. And it clearly did not work to gain me any favor,” 

 

“I thought being relieved from duty was your plan?”

 

“For the most part, yes, but I didn’t wish to break ties so catastrophically. Having such a plan in  place is only wise, albeit how poorly it was carried out given the alternatives I could have taken.” Lotor met Keith’s eyes now, deep blue meeting malbec purple. 

 

“And I am also sorry for bonding you. In truth, I had no intention to mate you, even when you presented,” Lotor admitted, bringing up a hand to tuck silvery hair behind his ear. He refused yet to say that he never planned upon this because he never thought he’d be so lucky, nor did he want to let it be known that he’d found the human hybrid alluring from the moment he began piloting the Black Lion. The human had gall, courage, and spontaneity where Lotor sought security in planning with highly calculated but dangerous risk-taking. It was addicting, watching the paladin’s movements and feeling like he was being challenged. Breaking from the trance, he attempted to continue, “And I apologize for insinuating that the blame lie in you. This wouldn’t have happened were I not to have a modicum more control than I did in that moment. Had I not exerted some will—”

 

“Lotor, I knew what I was doing when I mated you,” Keith asserted, looking the Galra prince in the eye with lips pressed into a firm line. “I would like to say I got carried away, but in the moment, I thought that if you were going to claim me, I’d bring you down with me.” Lotor blinked in disbelief, his expression changing from submissive and apologetic to mischievous and fiery.

 

“You little scoundrel,” Lotor responded, a smile creeping across his features. “You would have me beholden to you in punishment for my carelessness.” The prince tipped his head back against the seat and breathed out a sigh, hardly believing what he was hearing. “Man after my own heart, after all,” he chuckled. “I admire that, in all honesty.”

 

Keith stared at him like he’d just violated every human norm in existence. The prince sat back up and gave him an incredulous look, “What? You thought me insecure enough to be upset by your quick thinking?”

 

“It sure feels like I’m more beholden to you than the other way around. So yeah, I feel like an idiot,” Keith stated slowly, not sure where any of this was going.

 

“On the contrary, omegas hold far more power over their alphas. Though I’m not of a mind to tell you how. You may have to figure that out on your own,” he laughed. “I don’t think I want you using your sex against me quite yet.”

 

“As if I haven’t already.”

 

“Not so purposefully, at least!” Lotor grinned, shaking his head. “I wish we’d had  _ this  _ discussion sooner.” Keith had barely noticed that the distance had closed between them and Lotor was using an extended claw to lift the brunette’s chin so their eyes met once more. “You really are something else,” he murmured, examining the human’s face pensively and releasing a wave of fire, smoke, and fir trees around the both of them before pressing his lips to Keith’s chastely, then deepening the kiss by pushing more and cupping the paladin’s face with his palm. Surprising to even himself, the brunette kissed back with fervor, pushing his tongue into the other male’s mouth and rubbing their tongues together before quickly pulling away and realizing they were still in the middle of a conversation.

 

“I’m still pissed at you,” Keith panted slightly against the prince’s lips, the compliment still playing over in the paladin’s head.

 

“As long as you keep kissing me like that, feel free to stay as mad as you want,” the prince chuckled, licking his lips.

 

“See, no, that’s not how we’re going to do this,” Keith halted him with an extended index finger, pulling out of the kiss. “I’ve suffered and caused you to suffer enough by refusing to communicate. It would do us some good to clear the air when we need it.”

 

“Of course, Little Red.”

 

“I’m serious, asshole,” Keith groaned at the nickname. He knew he’d have a lot of trouble holding to this agreement, but he may as well try. If he didn’t, what, he only had five more phoebs of this? It might be manageable. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Given the pacing of this chapter, this will likely be a four chapter fic. Just a heads up. ;) But I did say I could update quicker than every other day!
> 
> Also casual reminder that I just started writing for this series (less than a week ago) out of Pure Inspiration and Sexual Frustration. I am by no means an expert on the show, nor am I doing this for anything other than fun. Mistakes may be made. If I've left a plot point confusing, feel free to ask me in the comments. I'll end up amending the story for clarity and answering your question. All A/B/O fics tend to be a little different, so I can relate lol. Just here for a good time though. I'm no one special haha.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith could practically see the rut take Lotor like a gust of wind as his face turned a devastatingly dark shade of purple. 
> 
> “You don’t...do you realize how horribly unfair and uncivilized this is?” The prince all but stuttered, running a hand nervously through his hair, suddenly uncomfortable being in his own skin. 
> 
> “I don’t see anyone stopping me,” Keith looked around. No other Galra in sight.

Keith knew him and Lotor had agreed upon communicating with one another given that the next five phoebs would be hell otherwise, but the human’s pride held him at bay, refusing to seek the prince out when he felt his heat upon him once more. He continued working with the Blade and assisting in more menial preparations, at Kolivan’s request, alongside Dedrir.

 

It was only sharpening blades and charging blasters, but it served as valuable time for Keith to discuss being an omega with the other Galra. If he could get the conversation started.

 

“So,” he began, elongating the ‘o’.

 

“Continue,” Dedrir responded, formal as always.

 

Keith bit his lip, inhaling and just getting on with it. Talking to a soldier about sex couldn’t get less uncomfortable, so floundering was his only option. “Lotor mentioned something about omegas having more power?”

 

“Indeed. While alpha’s can vocalize in a manner that can nigh command their omega to stand down or even perform a task, omegas still hold all the cards,” she answered, one side of her lips quirking up into a small smile.

 

“I don’t see how. We need them in our heats,” Keith countered, focusing intently on polishing the blade he’d just sharpened.

 

“And they need us in their ruts, as well. Which you trigger as an omega in heat. You need him just as much as he needs you. There are...consequences to not mating, but those are saved for dire circumstances in which Galra go hundreds of deca-phoebs without mating, despite the presence of suitable partners.” Dedrir rose from her position, walking over to the console in the office to scan for any new messages, sniffing the air in a way that Keith realized probably meant he was scenting the room already in his oncoming heat. He was lucky Dedrir was understanding and even more thankful that she didn’t point it out.

 

“Additionally, you have the power to deny. It’s your consent that matters in all of this,” Dedrir reminded him, looking up to meet his purple eyes while he met yellow with a nod.

 

“Sure.”

 

“You can survive the frustration of not being mated, but alphas become increasingly more aggressive the longer they are in rut and the rut will last until they fornicate. Of course, some omegas do as well, though this seems most notably a Galra alpha conundrum.” Then, bridging into an almost playful tone, she added: “You can control them just as well, if not better, than how they could control you with their voice. He is beholden to you, Red Paladin.”

 

“So I’ve been told…” Keith muttered, casting his eyes to the side. If he really wanted to get under the prince’s skin to make him sorry, this might be the more fun way to do it instead of just shutting down.

 

After a few moments of silence and Dedrir clicking away at the console and responding to messages, a couple likely from Kolivan on Keith’s condition, she spoke once more. “He is treating you well, I presume?”

 

“He’s certainly not treating me badly, I don’t think,” Keith shrugged.

 

“Does he perform the typical alpha pageantry when they attempt to attract a mate?” She asked, but when Keith just looked at her with a blank stare, she realized the question warranted more background. “Such as gifts and flattery. I’m pretty sure you humans do that, too.”

 

“No, no. Thank god. I hate that shit,” Keith sputtered, horrified at the idea of the prince bestowing gifts upon him like a trophy to be won. “I’d much rather if someone told me what they really felt instead of hiding behind meaningless gestures.”

 

“Does he know that?” She queried, her lips quirking into that same small smile. Dedrir knew something he didn’t about the prince. “He is royalty, after all. They tend to go overboard,” she chuckled, turning around and checking each blaster for dust. Keith blushed at the prospect of this, mortified that the relationship, however impermanent and necessity-focused it was, could be displayed so publically.

 

~

 

“So, how do I impress Keith?” Lotor inquired while the human hybrid was in the middle of talking to the other paladins.

 

“You don’t,” Lance replied plainly, shifting his lips to the side to make a face with his arms crossed. “Pretty sure everyone’s tried and he either never realizes someone likes him, or he hates it.” The brunette shrugged. “But that was a long time ago,” he waved his hand dismissively, referring to the two times he tried to flirt with the Red Paladin and failed miserably. “Still, uh, why are you asking?”

 

Lotor regarded him with narrowed eyes as if Lance dare ask. “Bud, everyone knows,” Lance furrowed his brows and huffed out a laugh. “I thought this was all...you know, for show?”

 

“While I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” Lotor began, sneering at how insignificantly the brunette was treating their union.

 

“I understand plenty. Try me, tough guy,” Lance fired back, turning his back to Keith in the room, which oddly made the Red Paladin look up in interest, surveying their interactions. Lotor caught his eye and the human hybrid smirked, Lotor gave him a quizzical expression but turned back to Lance. “Perhaps it’s not as paltry as we...or I initially imagined the union to be,” the prince said slowly, the essence of omega filling his nose. He scented the air, looking back at the omega who was enjoying his conversation with the other paladins several paces away.

 

“Excuse me,” Lotor addressed Lance, walking over to Keith and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Are you aware of what you’re doing?” He asked, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice in front of the other paladins. Hunk looked upon them with a bit lip and shuffled towards Pidge, who had begun speaking about transistors with Coran and how to upgrade the ship in the coming vargas when they got back to work.

 

Keith looked at the hand on his shoulder with reprimand, then stared Lotor plainly in the eye: “No? What are you talking about?”

 

Lotor narrowed his eyes, frowning ever so slightly. Perhaps the hybrid wasn’t at fault for flooding the room with his pheromones. There was no way he’d learned to control his scent that quickly.

 

“Weren’t you talking to Lance about something?” The paladin reminded him.

 

The question snapped the prince out of his scent-dizzying daze. “What? Oh, well, yes.”

 

“You lost your conversation partner to the mice,” Keith noted, looking at Lance pointing accusingly at the mice who squeaked chuckles and waved their paws in innocence and surrender. “I knew you were boring, but that might be a new low for you.”

 

“I’m not—! Ugh,” Lotor huffed, rubbing his temples with his index fingers, then suddenly smelling the omega’s scent grow stronger in his nostrils. “Do you have any control over that?”

 

“I still have no idea what you’re referring to,” Keith attempted to play innocent, but the prince could see the mischievous glint in his eye.

 

“You do,” he smirked at the shorter, thinking he knew just what the paladin was getting at. “Your room or mine?”

 

“Neither, I’m busy.” Keith answered with an infuriatingly nonchalant shrug.

 

“Doing?”

 

“More work for the Blade in a couple ticks.” At this time, Keith figured it was the perfect time to turn the dial up to eleven. “But maybe later,” he flashed a seductive smirk. Lotor was hovering closer to him now, his nostrils flaring as he raised his chin and scowled. So Keith stepped closer, their chests nearly touching when the omega tilted his neck, baring it to the prince in public, an act often incredibly submissive done by all sexes, or as an explicit request for sex. Lotor looked down onto the brunette’s swollen scent glands as he leaned his neck the other way, cracking the tension out of it. Keith could practically see the rut take Lotor like a gust of wind as his face turned a devastatingly dark shade of purple.

 

“You don’t...do you realize how horribly unfair and uncivilized this is?” The prince all but stuttered, running a hand nervously through his hair, suddenly uncomfortable being in his own skin.

 

“I don’t see anyone stopping me,” Keith looked around. No other Galra in sight. The Blades were off on a mission. Most of them.

 

“Please,” the prince croaked out, leaning down just barely to scent the hybrid with a shaking breath but attempting to keep it together in front of the amassed paladins a dozen steps away from them. He was thankful for Keith standing in front of him since his erection was already beginning to jut out in his suit. He had no idea how the omega was keeping it together so well despite clearly being well into his heat as his scent indicated. Keith may be a controlled person about some emotions and desires, but this seemed to clearly top it.

 

“Busy, like I said,” Keith repeated but with more emphasis, turning his body to start down the hallway.

 

“It’s your call, despite being in terrible taste,” Lotor sighed through clenched teeth, hating to admit it but knowing he would not dare take the omega without his express permission. Some rules of pageantry had to be followed if you were an honorable Galra. Not that the exiled prince appeared to hold much honor anyhow. This, he would uphold. No matter how treacherously teasing the human dared to be.

 

~

 

Vargas later, Lotor was ambling around the castle and was relieved to happen across his mate. He was sweating and gritting his teeth, the rut of an alpha coming in stronger and stronger in the absence of his mate. The prince felt a short-lived wave of relief upon smelling the omega.

 

“Keith?”

 

“Still busy,” he smirked, walking right past the prince with Dedrir to the training room. The female Galra blinked several times in surprise, clearly having inhaled the aggressively strong alpha scent in the hallway. After they’d left, Lotor groaned, finding his way to the main deck with the hopes of finding Shiro or some respectable paladin to spar with him and not make a big deal out of it.

 

Fortunately, Shiro was on the bridge talking with Allura when Lotor sauntered up. “You all right, Lotor?” The Black Paladin asked, furrowing his brow and looking over the prince’s slightly hunched posture and clammy visage, but mostly concerned by his oddly Earthen look, fashioning dark jeans and a purple sweater.

 

“I’ll be fine. Would you like to spar? Hand to hand,” he sighed, shifting uncomfortably in the denim, the only thing he could loan from Lance that fit him and hid his constantly erect cock better than any flight suit.

 

“Are you in the shape to do that?”

 

“Why wouldn’t I quiznacking be?” Lotor snapped, immediately surprised at his sudden aggression and coughing. “Apologies. I’m somewhat on edge but also looking to expend some energy in combat.”

 

“Yeah, sure, I can meet you in the training room.”

 

“It’s occupied,” the prince quickly stated.

 

“There’s more than one room in there, you know.”

 

“Stars preserve me, must I give you a Galran biology lesson, too? I shouldn’t be near him right now because I can _smell_ him,” he hissed, agitated that he had to explain more than he bargained for when searching for a sparring partner.

 

Shiro still appeared confused, but Allura gave him a gentle shove so as to tell him to quit questioning and just get the punching match over with. “Sorry, let’s find an open room without so much delicate equipment.”

 

“Splendid. What do you think about a brawl on the ship deck?” Lotor flashed a toothy smile and Shiro shrugged, so he turned and began walking with a self-satisfied air about him. Shiro looked after Allura with a puzzled expression, who regarded him with a soft smile as he followed after the prince.

 

“Why hand-to-hand, if you don’t mind my asking?” Shiro inquired as they stepped into the hangar.

 

“It’s been centuries since I practiced and felt it may be worth keeping up with. You’re certainly a worthy opponent. At least according to how I see you fight when you’re without a weapon,” Lotor answered simply, turning around in the large room.

 

“My entire arm is a weapon,” Shiro furrowed his brows, tempted to laugh.

 

“All the better to learn how to spar against, Shirogane. May we begin? Or did you have any more questions?” His tone sounded clipped, so Shiro shrugged and got into position.

 

Most of the sparring consisted of constant dodges and strategic blows rarely landed, but Shiro managed several well-timed punches to Lotor’s chest that sent him staggering. In retaliation, Lotor attempted to land a punch straight at Shiro, clearly getting tired and foregoing some of the pageantry of his fighting style, which the Black Paladin easily caught in his Galra arm. This earned the prince an attack of opportunity to land a hook with his right arm, which almost landed were Shiro not expecting it and grabbed the corresponding wrist, now holding both of Lotor’s hands steady while the prince pushed into him, staggering the Black Paladin a couple of steps before he planted his footing.

 

Panting and still trying to push the paladin down and slowly succeeding, given the adrenaline and testosterone boost of being an alpha in rut. Though right before Shiro broke, the paladin looked Lotor in the eye: “What are you planning with Keith?”

 

The simple question made Lotor pull back a little. “I’m not sure what you mean,” the prince responded, seeming to come off the offensive at the change in tone. Lotor expected this to lead to some sort of confrontation and he wasn’t sure whether or not he had the impulse control to deal with it since he was in rut. “I don’t suggest we talk about this now,” he commented as Shiro released his grip.

 

“I just want to protect him,” Shiro sighed, his eyes locked onto Lotor’s.

 

“That much is clear,” Lotor nodded, then dropped suddenly to kick the paladin’s legs out from underneath him, sending Shiro to the ground while Lotor’s foot quickly pinned the Black Paladin’s Galra arm to the floor. “My, so off guard when we discuss him, aren’t we?” Lotor taunted.

 

“I’m not playing a game here, Lotor,” Shiro glared up at him, but still made no movement to attack the prince, knowing at least as much to not provoke any actual rage.

 

“No, but he is,” the platinum-haired prince chuckled, moving his foot off of Shiro and offering a hand down to him, then pulling him up when he took it.

 

“I don’t follow. Keith doesn’t play games.” Shiro stated, genuine confusion consuming his features; he searched Lotor’s expression for answers.

 

“Not with you. I’m quite sure he enjoys toying with me,” the prince sighed deeply, the gesture nearing melodrama. “He likely respects you too much. Obviously there’s not a lot of respect for me as of yet, or from the lot of you generally. Not that I am surprised, even if I am often frustrated by the circumstances.”

 

“You were our enemy just phoebs ago,” Shiro reminded him, crossing his arms.

 

“Yes, yes, I know.” Lotor waved his hand dismissively, sneering. “And you all love to pull that card whenever I do something unsavory or unfamiliar. Look, I seek to gain Keith’s respect. And trust.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I’m afraid it’s not as listlessly sexual as you pray this whole ordeal to be. Perhaps I may be interested in Keith for more than what we give to one another once a phoeb.” Lotor admitted, surprised he would even open up to the paladin like this. Shiro was one of the only paladins to listen and lend him a modicum of trust, thus it may have been only natural for Lotor to seek the Black Paladin out for guidance and reprise from his rut. He hated thinking about it.

 

“Still, Shirogane. I will tell you right now that should Keith not wish to be my mate, you are the only individual on board with similar enough alpha biology to 'save' him, if you will.” Hearing this, Shiro’s eyes widened slightly.

 

“It’s not like that with Keith,” Shiro began. “I don’t plan on doing that.”

 

“He may need you to; which is why I bring it up now. The bond can only be broken by mating another alpha. If it isn’t me, it’s you. Despite you lacking any true Galra physiology, you have the stature and presence of an alpha,” Lotor felt his control over the situation waning gravely in the Black Paladin’s favor. Still, if he wanted to continue to gain the trust of the Paladins of Voltron, transparency was vital. “And I highly doubt Kolivan would present himself as an option.”

 

“Why would you tell me?” Shiro gaped.

 

“I already explained myself once; must I repeat myself?”

 

“No, why would _you_ tell me,” he emphasized, eyebrows knitted together.

 

“I’m not some terrible, blood-thirsty Galra who collects concubines like you all paint me to be. I tell the truth sometimes,” Lotor huffed, crossing his arms.

 

“When it suits you.”

 

Shiro had him there, but Lotor wasn’t going to let that comment shatter the honest image he was attempting to conjure of himself. Yes, this might sow the seeds of distance between the two paladins, which would inevitably work in Lotor’s favor, but it could also gain him trust. A small risk given Keith knew and liked Shiro better. “At this point, it almost always suits me,” the prince returned, narrowing his eyes.

 

“Well, thanks for telling me. I think it’s probably time I get back to the bridge and start planning our attack with the intel you granted us with,” Shiro nodded, forcing a smile despite feeling pressured about the situation.

 

“As you wish.”

 

After the Black Paladin had left, Lotor leaned against his Sincline Ship and rubbing his eyes. He’d ignored the painful hardness in his crotch long enough. He could only work so hard to make sure it was tucked in a less salacious manner and to wear Earthling clothes that hid him better. Not that fighting in denim was anything short of horribly uncomfortable. They looked and felt humiliating.

 

Resolving to avoid being seen by any more of his new allies in jeans, he walked to his quarters on the ship with the intention of immediately shucking them off and tending to himself in the privacy of his room. Clicking open the panel of his door with his right hand and unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans with his left, Lotor concerned himself with nothing other than walking in and undressing as soon as the door shut behind him.

 

“I know I did a number on you today, but already? No foreplay?” Came Keith’s voice as he sat in a chair reading his communicator and any relevant news or messages regarding Galra strongholds. He hardly looked up at Lotor while the prince stood, mouth agape and eyes wide.

 

“Keith,” the prince breathed, shamelessly kicking the jeans to the side and sauntering up to the human hybrid with the gait of a wolf stalking prey.

 

“Thank god you took those off, they looked fucking terrible.” The comment was biting, but Keith smiled up at the prince from his position. He was feeling playful.

 

“Don’t I know it,” Lotor snorted, rolling his eyes. “You, on the other hand, look ravishing,” he breathed, raising a hand to place in Keith’s hair and bend down to place a kiss on the crown of his head.

 

“I’m sure you say that to anyone who would take you in a rut,” Keith countered lightheartedly, but there was some insecurity buried deep underneath it.

 

“Hm, not in truth, at least,” he chuckled softly, but his expression dropped when Keith pulled away from his touch.

 

“You’re not allowed to touch me until I say so.” Keith asserted, making Lotor blink. The alpha had no interest in forcing himself on the omega he wished to charm, so he took a step back and raised his palms outwards in surrender, interested in wherever this may take him.

 

“More games, dear?” Lotor smirked, using a hand to comb his hair to the side while he secreted alpha pheromones strong enough to hear a sharp intake of breath from the omega before he heavily scented the air.

 

“Quit it and sit down on the bed.”

 

“Your wish is my command,” he murmured mockingly, a perfectly manicured brow quirked in interest. The prince turned around and sat on the bed, sporting black briefs and a plum-colored sweater rolled up his forearms.

 

Keith was determined to break the haughty persona the prince always carried about him. Seeing the prince vulnerable before had been a treat, but sexually vulnerable was another game completely. He walked over to the alpha, pinching the sweater's fabric with a slight sneer. “It doesn’t even smell like you. Whose is this?”

 

“How could it not? You’ve tortured me in rut all day. The only thing I’ve been doing is smelling up the castle with pheromones, hoping you’d come to me. None of which clearly worked since this little appearance of yours seems motivated by something other than me,” the prince practically pouted, crossing his arms like a child. “It’s Lance’s. The only outfit ugly enough to distract everyone from my raging hard on that you seem not to care for in the slightest, despite sporting your own.” Keith had to press his lips together to stifle a laugh, sensing how sexually frustrated and high-strung the prince was at the moment. It was perfect. He was bordering the edge of pride and desperation.

 

“It can go, too,” the brunette motioned for the sweater to come off, watching as Lotor stripped himself further and his eyes had the momentary freedom of roaming and appreciating the prince’s physique. That was, until he had the sweater off and Keith had to train his eyes back on Lotor, refusing to give any slack in favor of displaying _endless restraint_.

 

“Do I get a dance or anything?”

 

“Not even a little one.”

 

“Then what am I supposed to be doing right now? You said I can’t touch you, and you’re just making me strip in front of you? For what?”

 

“You’re the one that will be performing, not me,” Keith responded, smirking.

 

“Oh, no,” Lotor shook his head down at his lap, closing his eyes with a somber smile. “Have fun imagining that, as it will never come to be.”

 

The brunette stepped up closer, standing between the prince’s opened knees and looking down onto the prince, a vision of tantalizing power and intrigue above the Galra. “I thought you wanted to fuck me senseless? And you think I don’t want anything in return?”

 

“To be fucked senseless, I wager,” Lotor countered smartly.

 

“You wagered incorrectly, take off your boxers,” Keith scoffed, pointing downwards at his mate’s underwear and stepping away to give him room.

  
“Fine,” he huffed defiantly, though doing exactly what the omega asked, his erection springing free as he kicked his boxers off in the same direction as the sweater. Lotor bit his lip, “So?”

 

Keith stepped back up between the prince’s legs, the tops of his knees just barely brushing the head of Lotor’s cock. “You will pleasure yourself in front of me and beg me to let you touch me,”

 

“What makes you think I’d fall so submissive?” Lotor snapped back, scowling up at his mate, but placing his hand on his cock nonetheless and applying a lazy, slow rhythm to his stroking.

 

Keith leaned down, weaving a hand into Lotor’s silver locks placing his lips near the prince’s ear: “Because this is the only way I will let you take me and fuck me as mercilessly as you’ve imagined for the past three varga.” Lotor dared not say a word, and Keith took this as a prompt to lower his mouth to the prince’s neck, sucking on a sensitive bit below his jaw and nipping at it, eliciting a soft groan from the alpha while he began to pump his own cock faster. Keith ever so slowly made his way down to the nearly healed scent gland, only to bite it almost hard enough to break the skin once more and then sensually lave his tongue over the organ.

 

“Quiznak, Keith…” Lotor moaned, opening and closing a fist beside his thigh, knowing that if he so much as shifted the wind around Keith to indicate movement, the human would pull off. Instead, he tilted his neck to allow more access, prompting Keith to run his teeth up and down the gland teasingly, putting Lotor even more on edge before he moved back up the prince’s neck, suddenly yanking his hair and clamping his teeth down on the Galra’s neck. Lotor gasped out, now panting in both agony and intense pleasure, “Please.”

 

“Good...” Keith smirked, standing back to full height, looking upon the prince proudly who whimpered at the praise, stroking himself faster and harder with lips parted. “Tell me what you’ve been thinking about every time I passed you, purposely making sure you could smell my heat,” the hybrid requested, gentle but still demanding, as if he was testing the waters.

 

“I’ve wanted for nothing but to make l—thrust endlessly into your lithe, wanton body,” Lotor admitted, his eyes falling shut while he panted and desperately stroked his leaking cock, hips erratically bucking into his moistening fingers.

 

“Open your eyes. Look at me,” Keith commanded, using a folded index finger to lift the prince’s chin tenderly.

 

“With _pleasure_ ,” Lotor smirked, licking his lips and locking indigo with merlot to find Keith stripping himself of his Blade suit and walking up, completely bare to the prince once more with his cock jutting out. The Galra let his head dip back for a moment to groan at the realization Keith had been commando all day. No wonder he’d smelled so potent. So claimworthy. So his. Their scents intermingled whenever the human emanated pheromones. “You’re so darling,” he sighed, lifting his head once more to slowly rake his eyes up Keith’s body, watching as a hand grasped the blushing member before him and began a slow rhythm.

 

“Faster,” the human hummed, lolling his head to the side playfully and smirking. Lotor obeyed, panting and still looking up at Keith like he were the only thing in the universe. The only thing that mattered. “Are you going to cum?” He asked.

 

“I’m...I’m close,” the prince breathed out, increasing the speed of his hand and watching the other’s cock pulled and pushed languidly, examining the way Keith’s Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed and the way his breath hitched when he reached his head and folded his palm over it. The brunette switched his dominant hand from his cock to Lotor’s, picking up the exact speed and then some, squeezing harder and kissing up the unblemished side of the prince’s neck.

 

When Keith began to hear Lotor bridge close to his orgasm from his labored breaths and simpering moans, he let his hand slide back down to the base of the man’s cock and then used his thumb and index finger to cut blood flow to the shaft, denying the alpha of the orgasm he so faithfully, dutifully chased. Lotor all but sobbed, leaning his head against Keith in defeat, “Please, Keith, I can’t—”

 

“You can and will.” Keith growled, a hand raised to the prince’s throat in warning.

 

“Keith, please, I’m not jesting you. We _must_ ,” Lotor panted, eyebrows knit and eyes searching, pleading. Lotor still hadn’t touched Keith yet and adhered to their original instructions; Keith looked upon him for a few moments, watching the alpha squirm under his grip.

 

In one fell swoop, Keith smashed his lips against Lotor’s, who responded in kind with a needy groan, opening his mouth for the brunette to press further and dominate his mouth. “You can touch me now, idiot,” Keith hissed outside the kiss, pushing Lotor up the bed by his chest to give himself more room, which the prince quickly obliged and ran extended claws none too lightly down his back.

 

“Fuck, easy,” the human gritted, making the prince smirk.

 

“Nothing about this suggested you wanted me to be easy,” Lotor chuckled, sucking on Keith’s bottom lip fervently as the human sidled himself on Lotor’s hips, positioning the leaking purple cock beneath his quivering hole and dropping slowly onto it.

 

Lotor stuttered out a harsh breath, hands gripping the human’s hips while he bucked into him impatiently, ripping a graceless huff from the paladin. “Patience, Lotor. Remember?” He tsked, beginning to move the prince’s cock in and out of him at a gratifyingly quick pace that Lotor was desperately thankful for. He didn’t answer Keith, figuring that it would be better to allow the omega to do what he liked and use him.

 

And Keith did just that: Use Lotor to drive himself to completion, writhing on top of the prince’s hips as he angled the thick purple cock to hit him in just the right spot. Lotor was scrambling between keeping a hand on Keith’s hip to pushing back his own hair and even pulling it at points, all at the mercy of the human hybrid’s whims but loving it more than any sex he’d ever had before. No one had the gall in the empire to force him into submission, so this truly was absolutely something else for him.

 

“I’ll let you cum this time,” Keith jested, smiling as he bounced on Lotor’s cock, sweat dripping from his bangs and brow with heavy breaths clouding the air between them.

 

“Thank the quiznaking stars,” Lotor breathed, confidently planting his hands on the human’s hips and digging claws in ever so slightly, using his thumbs to guide Keith up and down on his cock while he thrusted harshly upwards into the omega, wrenching a choked laugh and pleasured moans.

 

“You honestly are the fucking most incredible lover,” Keith laughed, stifling a whimper when a thrust hit his prostate especially hard. The force caused him to bend over the prince, now closer to his face while Lotor had his way. He merely smiled at the paladin, pushing himself up to catch Keith’s lips passionately without a hint of anger nor aggression. It felt...different. Keith was practically caught off guard, but pressed deeper into the kiss.

 

In as much time, they rode out their orgasms together seamlessly, clutching onto each other like they were each other’s last life line to the world. Hardly a sound between them but labored breathing and the rhythmic slapping of sweating flesh, their alpha and omega scents intermingling, bizarrely compatible and combustible nonetheless.

 

After several moments basking in the glory of their completion and Lotor’s knot securely inside of Keith, the prince spoke as if it were his last chance:

 

“All Galran biology aside, Keith, you certainly are my weakness.”

 

“What are you talking about?” The paladin asked cautiously, looking up from his huddled position atop Lotor’s chest, chin resting between his pectorals.

 

“I’m saying,” he paused, as if considering whether it was worth to walk this path or not. “That I actually may have feelings for you.”

 

“May?”

 

“I _do_ ,” Lotor confirmed, cupping Keith’s face with an expression of longing, but not daring to close the distance between their lips despite their past activities. “I _have_.” He admitted, hoping that this was not a mistake.

 

“I might too,” Keith shyly smiled, pressing a small and chaste kiss to the Galra’s lips, which quickly earned a tender smile and softening eyes.

 

“I’m...glad. I couldn’t ask for more,” the platinum-haired prince blinked in surprise, but his eyes conveyed a hidden happiness that dared not to make itself too well known for fear of rejection.

 

“Good, because I still am having trouble processing this. I’ll need time. And we still hardly know one another.” Ever the realist, Keith had to interject reason into the affair, even if it made him uneasy to confront his emotions so head on. While Lotor appreciated it, he somewhat enjoyed giving himself over to the paladin with no questions asked, even if he didn’t expect him to do the same. He could wait.

 

“I understand.” Lotor nodded, emanating the comforting scent of a sated alpha to calm the nerves he sensed in the omega. “Perhaps a date is in order.”

 

“ _Perhaps_ ,” Keith mocked Lotor’s overly formal tone, though agreeing heartily and rubbing his face against the alpha’s scent glands and spreading his own scent on the prince’s neck. “Let’s talk about it after my heat ends and the date doesn’t so explicitly involve sex.”

 

“Probably a good plan, given that as soon as I can pull out of you, I’ll want to take you all over again for all the absolute torture you’ve put me through,” Lotor exclaimed, exasperated. “Manipulating an alpha in rut! So devious. Dangerous, even.” He grinned, a glint in his eyes. Keith sensed that Lotor clearly enjoyed his more mischievous side and the paladin loved nothing more than to bring it out at the prince’s expense.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was the pacing for this a little too quick? I’m still trying to figure out how long to wait on having Lotor admit his feelings and all the little sparks in between that seize them. Hopefully not. I did intend for this to be four chapters, haha. But we’ve still got ~4 months. ;)
> 
> Also, I hate competition (for a lover) in fics. So don't worry, if there is any, it'll be scant and easily remedied and talked through. Jealousy is not my kink unless it can be solved in under five minutes.
> 
> Oh, yeah, and feel free to follow me on tumblr and say hello. My url is eyrror.tumblr.com. I appreciate everyone's lovely commentary and support so far! You have no idea how much it means, especially as someone who has neglected creative writing for so long. It's nice to come back and be rather loved. Thank you. <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Lance told you to bring wine? He knows I hate that shit.” Keith scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You know what? Of course he did.”
> 
> “I, too, wish I was surprised he sabotaged me. Consider this date effectively ruined,” Lotor laughed, taking a bottle out of the bag he carried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for some EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Sorry it took longer than usual to get this chapter up. I wanted to conclude everything in this chapter, but it felt like a better idea to post this and then wrap up in the next chapter with some cute sex and all that lovey junk.
> 
> Enjoy!

It’d felt like doboshes, but three phoebs had already passed since Lotor had turned himself over to Team Voltron and the last Alteans in efforts to become their ally. He was making substantial progress by volunteering to trade himself over for Matt and Pidge’s father, Samuel Holt, to his father. With the furtive assistance of Shiro, Lotor was able to take down his father and even save the Paladins at one point. He was proud of his contributions to the team, even if it meant that he still did not receive the full credit he deserved. Such was his lot in life. Even if the other paladins didn’t trust Lotor, he was steadily gaining the favor of Shiro and Keith. If there were humans to befriend among the group, it was certainly Voltron’s leader and a member of the Blade of Marmora. 

 

Keith was steadily opening up to him, and Lotor to him. In the middle of their third phoeb bonded, Lotor decided that the perfect ‘date’ would be a short escape to a nearby planet in the system. Earthlings considered it tropical, commented Keith, noting that he’d always wanted to check out a place like this but was always too busy trying to make it on his own to travel anywhere.

 

“Then your entire Voltron adventure across the universe has truly been something else, hasn’t it?” Lotor asked as they walked under the canopy of the planet’s jungle, watching Keith’s unguarded features as he looked amusingly after different creatures that nor he or Voltron had ever seen before. He enjoyed watching the human experience the planet’s flora and fauna for the first time.

 

“It was big for everyone. But I think especially for me. I spent so much time alone since I was orphaned, and now I was constantly around people I hardly knew. Besides Shiro. On top of that, I was traveling, which was also something I’d never done outside of the garrison’s ships,” he answered absently, still focusing more on leading the way to their destination than how much of himself he was giving up by talking to Lotor. 

 

“Did that ever...overwhelm you?” The prince asked, knowing Keith had a tendency to overload emotionally if pressed hard enough, especially when his beliefs were compromised.

 

“Yeah, running away in the middle of space and turning off my BLIP was a pretty common occurrence,” he chuckled, his focus returning to their conversation. “But everyone is a lot easier to stand now, especially now that I’m often doing solo work with Kolivan and the Blade.”

 

“Hm, I see. Oddly enough, I walked the opposite route in my life. I found myself constantly surrounded by others from a young age with constant criticism from my father, but not even knowing my mother. Now I'm substantially more alone. Others acted as family to me. My father once sent me to live on a mining planet and to rule it as a test,” Lotor smiled softly, recalling the memory. “I worked alongside the planet’s inhabitants; and while I ruled them, I responded to their needs with the kindness I always wished for the empire. Where I was strategic and efficient, they saw the Galra in me. But they also saw what I lacked, which was to nourish my curiosity of my true origins. Not unlike you, in fact,” the prince playfully knocked Keith’s shoulder before the omega ducked under a branch, making him trip a little and glare at his alpha.

 

“What happened to them, then?” Keith asked, genuinely curious as to why Lotor would ever leave behind people so clearly important to him. “Were some of them your generals?” Looking up, he saw they had come upon a clearing.

 

“No, I met those four in my travels and recruited them after the destruction of that mining planet,” Lotor answered, his jaw tightening. “My father wished for me to do the honors,” he laughed caustically, “But I refused. He still annihilated every single one of them. I still dream about them sometimes.” The prince stopped when they came to what appeared to be a clearing.

 

“What is this?” Keith murmured, eyes trained on the long, spiraling hole down into the core of the planet. The equipment. Everything was rusted, unsalvageable. It felt eerie to Keith, who slowly turned to look at Lotor, whose face had considerably paled before he swallowed and forced a smile.

 

“This is where I was raised,” Lotor responded. “It’s thrived so much in the past seven thousand deca-phoebs. I’m so happy to see it’s restored, even if some things aren’t quite the same.”

 

“I thought it was destroyed?”

 

“Only the people. My father wanted the planet to serve as a scar on the universe of my ineptitude and eradicating the planet of sentient life would leave the biggest impact on me. He knew that even in my shame, I would never destroy this place. He thought me weak and sentimental,” the prince scowled. “I did not come here with you to mourn, Keith. I wanted to share with you who I was before my exile and before I traveled. Where we come from does not have to be shameful, and where we go even less.” His face lightened. Lotor outstretched a hand, tucking a lock of dark hair behind the hybrid’s ear and allowing long fingers to brush Keith’s cheek affectionately. “The fragile earnestness of this planet in the face of adversity is not unlike you. It’s the most adaptable planet in the universe and constantly changing. Circumstances have never favored it, but it thrives nonetheless.” 

 

Keith searched Lotor’s eyes, finding nothing but utmost sincerity. He was continuously stunned by admissions like this from the prince. It defeated everything he’d expected of the Galra. Of course, it wasn’t as if Keith was the typical Galra either. He’d realized that the platinum-haired alpha had a habit of talking about things when he was really complimenting Keith instead. It was endearing, if not sometimes a little funny. Perhaps it was a very Galra thing to be hesitant to grant others compliments, since he certainly struggled with the same. 

 

Lucky for the both of them, communication was easiest through touch, so Keith reached his arms up to wrap around the prince’s neck, having to stand on his toes to accomplish the feat. “You certainly have an interesting mind for date spots, I’ll give you that,” the brunette smiled, kissing the taller male softly and felt fingers curl around his cheeks. 

 

“I brought some of that Earthen stuff, too. Lance said it’s romantic to have wine on your planet,” Lotor chuckled, rubbing his face against the omega’s neck, even though he wasn’t even close to his next heat. They had gotten into the habit of scenting one another outside of their heats, an ode to how comfortable they were becoming with one another, even if almost no one else on the ship could smell their intermingling scents and how unexpectedly compatible they were.

 

“He told you to bring wine? He knows I hate that shit.” Keith scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You know what? Of course he did.”

 

“I, too, wish I was surprised he sabotaged me. Consider this date effectively ruined,” Lotor laughed, taking a bottle out of the bag he carried. 

 

“You’re lucky the water bottle I packed actually has whiskey in it,” the brunette quirked a brow suggestively. “Something told me drinking should be involved in this date.”

 

“I don’t know what any of these things are.”

 

“You’re about to, let’s find somewhere to sit,” Keith asserted with conviction, looking around the edge of the jungle and settling for climbing on some of the more stable looking mining equipment, a crane with a decent vantage point of the land beyond them. 

 

“This is a horrible place to sit if this swill does what I’ve heard…” Lotor muttered, climbing with more elegance than he expected a prim and proper prince to be able to muster with physical labor. Apparently that thought was etched on Keith’s face because Lotor called him out for it.  “You know I’m not a stay-in-the-castle type, Keith,” he groaned. “Stop looking surprised when I’m good at things that require my own strength and fortitude. I killed your greatest enemy.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. Lighten up. Try this,” he huffed, passing the water bottle to the prince, who took a sniff and immediately scowled. “Are you sure this isn’t some old Earth fuel of some sort?”

 

“Positive, even if it looks like it.” 

 

Shrugging, Lotor lifted the bottle to his lips without further preamble and took a sip. The scowl only intensified on his face, and he sighed out what felt like pure gasoline. “Get that quiznaking trash away from me.”

 

“Yikes, you’re like a high schooler,” Keith chuckled, which earned him a confused look from the prince. “Uh, a child.”

 

“A child? Because I enjoy ingesting things with more nuance?” Lotor pouted, watching Keith rifle through the bag again to grab the wine. Corked. Not a screw top. 

 

“Did Lance see this bottle before you brought it?”

 

“Of course he did. He picked it,” the prince answered like it was a heinous question. 

 

Keith sighed, “He purposely picked something without a top we could take off. Just when I thought he couldn’t get any more fucking annoying. Here, lean back a little.” Lotor obliged and the brunette pulled out his blade, holding the bottle by its fat end and then cutting sharply upwards, taking off the neck of the bottle with precision enough to make it easy to drink from. He could’ve fallen over laughing at the appalled face the prince cast at him from the action. “Just try it.”

 

“Fine, but if I choke on glass, it’s you who will be carrying me back to the ship,” Lotor responded with blatant uncertainty, though he took a swig of the newly opened bottle. “See, this has nuance,” he commented haughtily, nodding with satisfaction.

 

“It’s confirmed, you have terrible taste,” Keith laughed heartily, shaking his head. 

 

“The worst,” Lotor responded, purposely eyeing Keith and quirking his brow, leaning over to kiss him.

 

“Hey now,” Keith narrowed his eyes when they pulled back, pointing his free hand accusingly then taking a swig from the bourbon. 

 

Clearly it wasn’t the best idea to get drunk high up on a crane, but it made for a lovely view of the sunset with Lotor’s arms secured around Keith. Wine drunk and whiskey tipsy, the duo smiled and giggled often, enjoying their small vacation from all the yelling and planning of the castle ship and its inhabitants. 

 

“This is home,” Lotor sighed after they’d moved to a safer portion of the mine, now with Keith facing away from him between his legs, long arms wrapped around a slim waist.

 

“You already said that, though in far more words. You should probably work on that.”

 

“No. You.”

 

Keith blinked in surprise, but didn’t let Lotor see his expression or hear any change in his breathing. The prince wouldn’t see him anyway, as he positioned his chin on top of Keith’s head. The admission was welcome, if a little fast for the hybrid’s tastes in any normal circumstance. But he found he enjoyed it, and this wasn’t any normal circumstance.

 

“Yeah,” he murmured back, leaning a bit more against the alpha, who he felt smile against his hair. Eventually, they would head back to their ship in the dark and return to the castle. But for now, a warp away, they had their own little world. Something to call their own besides one another, which was slowly becoming more and more permanently probable by the quintant. 

 

~

 

Trust was apparently still a rare commodity four phoebs after joining Team Voltron. Even when a phoeb later Lotor had defeated every competing Galra in the Kral Zera and became reigning emperor, the team still doubted his intentions. Especially in light of his growing relationship with Keith, albeit they were spending less and less time with one another given the dynamic nature of an empire without an emperor and all the preparations needed to stifle malevolent leadership or belligerent opportunists. Finally, things felt as though they were settling down even if the real work was only beginning for the group.

 

He’d slowly been gaining their trust but always felt as if every time he took one step forward, he was taking another six backwards. Like when Shiro allowed him to use the Black Bayard in his fight against Zarkon: A show of trust that resulted in Lotor being the one to blame for its recklessness. Kral Zera was hardly any different in the beginning given his and Shiro’s scheming once more. In light of this, Keith had been kind and told him that once you abused the team’s trust (or never had it in the first place), it was especially difficult to win. Keith admitted that even he still struggled and felt like an outsider to a group he once led.

 

“It was like this on Earth, too. I excelled in piloting and was pretty introverted, which everyone took as me being an arrogant asshole. I honestly just didn’t know how to befriend them. So I ended up living out the image they painted of me: Some lonely asshole in the desert.”

 

“You’re not some lonely asshole in the desert,” Lotor assured Keith, leaving the words ‘to me’ unsaid for both their benefit. “However, if it comforts you, my life was not altogether so different.”

 

Keith looked up at the exiled prince then, who looked away in shame but appeared wistful. He waited, interested in how the royalty of the most famed, blood-thirsty empire could compare to him. 

 

“I was never what my father wanted me to be. Because of my Altean heritage, he saw me as weak. Lesser. I began to believe it for the longest time, but when I journeyed on my own, I grew into myself. No longer did I believe I was weak because I did not fit his picture-perfect visage of what his  _ Galra heir _ should look and act like. It was enough to accept that I was different,” he paused. “And that it wasn’t a bad thing.” Lotor smiled softly, still not meeting the paladin’s eyes. 

 

“But even now, they still act like I’m the reckless, violent Galra-human prodigy,” Keith scowled though he was more exasperated than frustrated. “I know I’ve grown out here, but it’s still stressful. Everyone acts like I’m the only one getting stressed out, but the truth it’s only because my stress always seems to put the team in shitty situations. And with the discovery of my heritage, that perception only got worse,” Keith sighed, carding a hand through his hair.

 

“We’re two sides of the same coin, dear Keith,” Lotor met his eyes sorrowfully. “And I’m sorry for that.”

 

“Not like you caused the team to act like I was a completely different person when they found out who I was...When I found out who _ I  _ was,” he scowled, though not at Lotor.

 

“Yes, but it was  _ my _ empire,  _ my _ people, who your colleagues hated. Your relation to us merely weakened those bonds further, Blade of Marmora or not.”

 

“But I was just as fucking clueless as they were!” The brunette gritted out, malbec eyes fiery with past transgressions he thought he’d let go. “I hated myself. Somehow they only piled on me more. Especially when Shiro disappeared and the Black Lion decided to volunteer me as Voltron’s new leader.”

 

Lotor huffed a humorless laugh at this, “Trust me, I understand this far better than you think,” he sighed with a smile that didn’t meet his eyes. Keith realized what the prince was getting at. Voltron was othering him in the exact same way, even if they didn’t mean to. “You are an absolute asset to this rebellion, Keith. They are young and foolish, with little experience in the trenches or in other cultures they do not deem themselves superior to.”

 

“And you’re so different?” Keith inquired, both genuinely asking and meaning to defy the alpha to demand further explanation.

 

“I like to think so, but I’ll let you be the judge,” Lotor answered with more confidence than he actually held in himself at the moment. “I’d spent millennia traveling the universe in my exile, working on planets alongside those I commanded in their clothes, in their shoes, listening to their hopes and dreams of a better empire. I want to do good by them, even if they no longer see me as their leader. There are efforts and differences still to be made even when credit is not allocated to you. That is true leadership,” the platinum-haired prince explained, placing a hand softly on Keith’s knee to indicate that he was referring to the paladin’s constant efforts with the Blade in the face of adversity in his own team. It hit too close to home. 

 

Seeing Keith’s face turn down with a small frown, Lotor squeezed the knee under his hand affectionately. “Forgive them, they know not what they teach. You are a beacon of hope for many. Do not let petty quarrels tempt you to stray from your goals,” Lotor praised him, lifting a hand to prop the human’s chin up while he smiled softly upon him. “You are absolutely incredible, and to doubt yourself is an insult to your abilities. Many may disagree, but you are exactly where you need to be right now,” he spoke softly, though it did not irk Keith the way it normally would. He didn’t feel talked down to, he felt understood. Hearing the compliments aloud and directly made his heart stutter a beat.

 

“I thought I already had forgiven them,” Keith looked back into Lotor’s sapphire eyes, his brows furrowed in insecurity and fear. “I don’t know why I would ever hold this against them when it’s all so reasonable.”

 

“Perhaps, but just because you can step into their shoes and understand does not make them right. And even if they are not right, it doesn’t mean they do not care about you and they are not your friends.”

 

“How would you know this?”

 

“I hardly do,” Lotor regarded him with forced smile, sadness entering his eyes. “Those who I thought were my friends turned me over as an enemy of the state. And I’ve lost contact with those I traveled with in my age and their deaths. Still, we learn the lessons we seek from others, regardless of their ill or good intentions for us.” Gathering himself once more and trying not to remember the deaths of his comrades on that mining planet long, long ago, the prince looked back once more to his mate. “Perhaps, this is what I imagine friendship to be. I hadn’t the foggiest idea about it,” he laughed though it wasn’t bitter nor sarcastic. It was lonely. “I don’t know anything, Keith. I failed every mission I attempted when I was Emperor Pro Tem.”

 

At this, Keith wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. Lotor’s plans had panned out more often than not and showcased him as a capable, strategic leader who always stayed several steps ahead of his opponents. The prince treated building a better empire like chess. The theory was there, even if the application not always. But the human hybrid did not want to affirm Lotor’s insecurities, nor did he want to deny them and appear as though he condoned some of the Galra empire’s shadier actions under their emperor pro tem. Instead, he brushed Lotor’s stark white hair back and used the hold to make the other match his eyes. When Lotor still did not look up, Keith raised another hand to let his fingers falter on the prince’s sharp cheekbones, a thumb softly sweeping over the bone affectionately. 

 

“Maybe we could both benefit from forgiving the past and looking forward,” Keith laughed lightly, not sure why the corners of his eyes were pricking with moisture. Lotor’s tears fell first in heavy drops on his armor. They looked at each other and choked out sad laughs, both holding one another’s face in their hands and gazing with watery eyes before kissing softly. Everything felt right. The blush pink light under their eyelids, the understanding and passionate embrace they shared, the tears and terrors they’d held inside only to leak out with the right person. When their lips parted, their faces remained close.

 

“I wish I gave up sooner,” Lotor smiled with a chuckle, eyes still closed as his forehead still pressed to Keith’s.

 

“No, you don’t,” the brunette playfully scoffed. “But I’ll still take the compliment. I’m glad you gave up.”

 

The heat that followed Lotor’s crowning would be especially intense, if still slightly emotionally restrained. Neither party knew how serious their bond stood, or whether or not it was worth mentioning to the other. However, it seemed apparent to just about anyone else how close they had become.

 

~

 

“Lotor actually told you that you were the only one who could break the bond?” Allura asked, eyebrows high as she sat down with some food goo across from the Black Paladin in the kitchens.   
  


“Realistically, that is,” Shiro corrected, hesitating at the thought of mentioning Kolivan.

 

“Perhaps you should do it,” she murmured. “I know Lotor is now our ally, but do you really think the two of them being together potentially for life is a little...dangerous?” 

 

“Of course it is,” Shiro appeared offended that Allura thought him so short-sighted. “But this is about what Keith wants. Not us.” He reminded her, leaning back in his chair across from her with arms crossed.

 

“Yes, of course. Still—” 

 

“I don’t have any intention of disrupting that. Lotor has proven himself time and time again that he is loyal to us, even if his past ruling methods have been questionable,” Shiro interrupted her, finality evidence in his tone. “And Keith seems...happy. Happier than I knew him in the garrison or when he’s been with us. I’m sure even you’ve noticed that.”

 

“I have. It’s quite sweet, in all actuality. I just worry for him. You humans live…”

 

“Short lives? Yeah, we definitely don’t live for thousands of years. So we’ve got to make the most of them,” Shiro smiled softly. “I think Keith is doing that. Plus, he’s still half-Galra.”

 

Allura chuckled, “Indeed. He is rather unprecedented in that matter. I suppose you’re right, they do seem to get on very well. It’s been interesting to watch them grow closer.”

 

“It has,” the paladin chuckled. “I think I ought to go check on him. We are nearing phoeb six.”

 

“I will see you on the bridge, then,” Allura nodded as Shiro left the kitchens, having eaten nothing. Clearly he was more anxious than he let on, seeing as he deigned not to eat.

 

When the Black Paladin reached Keith’s quarters, he paused, wondering if he really should bother the other male. Before he could get in his own head too much, he knocked tentatively on the door, which opened merely ticks later.

 

“Shiro, hey,” Keith greeted him, flashing a small smile. “Anything up?”

 

“I just wanted to talk to you about Lotor,” he responded, jaw slightly strained.

 

“Oh,” the brunette paused, “Sure, come on in.” 

 

Shiro followed after him, shutting the door with the panel on the inside while Keith took a seat at his desk. “Are you sure about this?” The paladin had resolved to tell Keith about what Lotor had mentioned to him phoebs ago regarding their bond only if Keith was still uncertain.

 

“Let me guess, you’re trying to figure out whether or not to tell me you’re the only other person who can break the bond?” 

 

“Uh, yeah. How’d you know?”

 

“He told me phoebs ago. Which is also why I’m sure. He gave me all of the outs that I needed to say no, but even more reasons to stay,” Keith shrugged, smiling.

 

“I’m actually really relieved. I never wanted to make things uncomfortable between us,” Shiro casted his eyes to the side, feeling guilty.

 

“Shiro. It’s all right.” Keith responded, standing up and placing a hand on the Black Paladin’s arm, then reached up around his neck to hug him. “I understand.”

 

Sighing, Shiro wrapped his arms around the shorter male, tucking Keith’s head under his chin. “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what, it's gonna be another chapter lol. I just can't seem to shut up and even still it feels too fast. But I don't think I could commit to a longer fic. I make one more chapter sound like a bad thing, but I think for the readers that’s always nice? That or I’m rambling far too much for you guys. In any case, I’m having fun. I hope you are too. :) In any case, hope you enjoyed this raw emotional development with absolutely no porn. 
> 
> I struggled so hard not to explicitly write out “I have grown, Odin-Son, in my exile” during that little conversation about shitty friends lmao. Also, this held a lot more depth and emotional development than the typical chapters. Hopefully you guys gained something from it. I threw parts of myself and the lessons I learned as an undergraduate in it that I always wished I would have heard from others.
> 
> I’ve also got some songs I listened to when writing this chapter if you wanna check them out:  
> https://youtu.be/bOp66dhmis0 (How Can Love Be Wrong? - Daniel Hart)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1Pl8CzNzCw (Lovely - Billie Eilish)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g6VloaJSu8 (Promise Not to Fall - Human Touch)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S_R13jV11Q (Touched - VAST)
> 
> If you can tell what show I watched this past month based on some of the music, keep quiet. I’m ashamed of liking that series, haha.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys are liking the continuation so far! I've got an idea for where I want the plot to go so far. But if there's a trope or something you desperately think should be featured in this little series, please feel free to let me know in the comments. I've certainly bent to the whims of my commentators before.
> 
> As far as updates go, I'm usually quick to turn these out and am already working on a second chapter. Expect perhaps every other day? Maybe earlier. ;)
> 
> Also, feel free to follow my [tumblr](https://www.eyrror.tumblr.com) if you want updates on new or continuing fics!


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